The Path of the Cloud
by Cloudstar of Fireclan
Summary: My first fanfic! At first, Cloudkit just wants to be a normal warrior. She has few ambitions to become a leader. But that is what she is forced to do. However, she quickly finds that leading a Clan is a nearly impossible task. In addition, cats that were thought to have been gone long ago are back- and they want more than revenge. Please review!
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Fire! Fire! The forest is on fire!"

"Get the kits!"

"Check the elder's den!"

"Clear the camp!"

"The apprentice's den is clear!" A black tom called.

"No one in the warrior's den!" a golden brown tabby tom reported. He sprinted toward a den woven with honeysuckle and ivy. As he ran, a spark flew to a tree at the top of the camp. The tree lit ablaze, groaned and toppled over onto the den.

"Dustwing!" The tom ran even faster. Just as he reached the entrance, a brown and white she-cat rushed out, her eyes wild with terror, quick in spite of her swollen belly.

"Think...kits...coming," she panted.

"I'll get Gingerpelt," the tom called over his shoulder, already racing off. He stopped when he came to a cave embedded in the rock. "Gingerpelt?" he called into it. A orange cat instantly appeared next to him, holding a honeycomb in her jaws.

"Yes, Sunwhisker?" she asked, calm despite the fire and chaos.

"Dustwing's kits are coming," he told her. Gingerpelt dropped the honeycomb and rushed into the cave, coming out with a mouthful of pungent leaves.

"Raspberry," she mumbled around them. "To help her give birth. Now where is Dustwing?"

"Just outside the entrance to the nursery."

"We'll have to get her out." Gingerpelt raced back towards the center of the camp where Dustwing was. Gingerpelt grabbed her scruff and started pulling her to the  
river just outside of camp. Sunwhisker raced ahead, clearing every piece of debris out of the path to the river.

When they reached the stream, Sunwhisker asked, "You want me to take her over?"

Before Gingerpelt could reply, Sunwhisker took hold of Dustwing's scruff and started to paddle across the river. Gingerpelt stared blankly through the smoke where Sunwhisker had disappeared, then shook her head, grabbed a few of the partially ripped leaves scattered around her, and started swimming after him.

On the other side of the river, Dustwing had started convulsing. Gingerpelt calmly started giving her the raspberry leaves, still managing to ignore the cats panicking around her. Finally, a kit came out. Dustwing nipped the sac and started licking the kit. Soon, a little tortoiseshell and white she-kit was suckling at her mother's belly. Dustwing looked up, her eyes tired, but also burning with pride for her daughter.

"What will we name her?" she asked Sunwhisker.

Just then, a thundercloud rumbled on the horizon. "Cloudkit," he replied.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
Cloudkit listened as the queens discussed the Twolegplace on their border. Dustwing's voice made bright green coils that matched the newly-grown new-leaf plants, and rained down on Cloudkit as she eavesdropped from her hiding place behind the nursery.

"I hope Foxstar does something about those pesky kittypets soon..." The coils disappeared as Dustwing stopped talking.

Bo-oring, Cloudkit thought as she creeped away from the nursery. She had been hoping to learn something interesting, not the same thing about the 'pesky kittypets'. That had been all the queens had talked about lately. Kittypets, kittypets, kittypets. The forest was brimming with prey, who cared if the lazy Twoleg pets took a couple of squirrels? They could always catch more! Cloudkit's chest swelled with pride as she imagined herself a full-fledged warrior, catching more prey than the rest of the Clan combined.

Cloudkit bounced up in her nest. She was ready to play. Once she had come back to the nursery long after sunhigh, all the kits had been sleeping, and Dustwing had suggested she do the same. Not having anyone to play with, she obeyed, and somehow slept through the whole night. But now she was full of energy and excited after having a dream about her apprentice ceremony. She was almost six moons old, and she would be an apprentice soon. Deciding to let out her energy with another cat, she looked over to the other side of the nursery, where Wolfkit was stirring. She bounded over to him and prodded him with her claw.

"Want to play?" she asked. She payed no attention to the blue-green spheres of her voice. "No," he replied groggily, looking at the sun, which was just starting to dawn over the horizon.

She repeated the same procedure with Lightningkit, Grasskit, and Falconkit, who all gave the same answer as Wolfkit. "No."

Why are they so lazy today? Cloudkit wondered with annoyance. She looked over at Hawkkit,

contemplating whether or not to ask him. She had hated him since she had been a quarter of moon old. She had told him about how she saw sounds with colors and shapes, and he had said she was stupid, and kept teasing her about it. From then on, she had done her best to stay out of his way, starting the habit of listening to the queens' talking in the morning, although right now, she didn't feel like listening to their talk of kittypets. He was always running around the nursery then,

wreaking chaos. Finally, Cloudkit decided to just walk around the camp and see if there was anything else new in the Clan besides kittypets.

"...Those stinking Twoleg toys..."

"...And I drove away three kittypets this morning..."

"...They're so lazy!"

For Starclan's sake, is there anything other than those Twoleg pets?

Cloudkit walked past the mammoth fresh-kill pile and decided to take something to impress the elders. She gently pulled out a plump, huge squirrel from underneath a thrush and a water vole and turned back towards the elder's den. It was difficult to ignore the tantalizing scent coming from it, but she didn't want to be thought of as rude. As she neared the entrance to the den, she could hear Starlingfur, Ravenwing and Applepelt discussing scents that the dawn patrol had found just inside the border.

Yes! Cloudkit thought. Finally something different!  
The squirrel was so large that Cloudkit had to walk backwards, dragging it along behind her.  
She shuffled into the elder's den tail-first, and the elders turned to look at her.

"Well, at last, we get some food," Starlingfur grumbled. "I think they're trying to starve us ."

"Don't be so grumpy, Starlingfur." Ravenwing gently flicked Starlingfur's shoulder with her tail.  
"Look how huge that squirrel is! I think this deserves a story. What would you like to hear about, Cloudkit?"

"Tigerclan," she replied. She sat down and neatly tucked her tail around her paws, listening intently. The stories of the shadow-bound clan normally intrigued her, but right then she couldn't focus. A scent wafted over, of crowfood and Twolegs.

She wasn't surprised when she heard Foxstar's familiar call, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath Highstone for a clan meeting!"


	3. Chapter 2

Cloudkit trotted off to the center of the clearing ,where Highstone was, even though she wasn't old enough to catch her own prey. There Foxstar was standing on Highstone with her deputy, Badgerstripe, seated underneath it.

Cloudkit expected a kittypet who'd been captured stealing prey, but what Foxstar announced first surprised her even more. "I have news from the dawn patrol. But before that, I must conduct an apprentice ceremony. Cloudkit, come forward."

Cloudkit jumped, looking at her mother, who at first, seemed to be as surprised as Cloudkit  
was, but recovered enough to give Cloudkit a lick and murmur encouragingly in her ear, "Go on." Out of the corner of her eye, Cloudkit saw her father gazing proudly at her.

Hoping her fur wasn't too dirty, Cloudkit walked until she was standing in front of Highstone and trying to ignore all the pairs of eyes boring into her back. "From this day on, until you earns her warrior name, you shall be known as Cloudpaw. Sagebrook, you will be her mentor."

The young she-cat stepped forward, obviously pleased at being chosen to mentor an apprentice. "I trust that you will pass on all your skills to this apprentice."

"Cloudpaw! Cloudpaw! Cloudpaw! Cloudpaw! "

Sagebrook and Cloudpaw awkwardly touched noses, nearly missing each other completely. I hope no one noticed that!, she thought. Her pelt prickled with embarrassment. Yet she was full of pride that she had gained a new status in Clan. She ran towards the cluster of apprentices, longing to talk with them, but she knew that Foxstar was not finished with the ceremony.

"Now, we will continue with the dawn patrol's finding. There is a loner in our territory. She is injured and I will allow her a place in the Clan until she heals." A beautiful, soft gray, she-cat limped out from the entrance of the camp, with Gingerpelt, Fireclan's medicine cat, anxiously watching her.  
"M-my name is Dove," she stuttered. At first her introduction was met by silence. The camp was as quiet as a cat stalking a mouse, until Vineshade spoke.

"Should we really be keeping a loner in Fireclan?" he asked. "She might be trying to find out our secrets to attack us."

"Vineshade, please," Frostnose begged. "Why would she do that?"

"What about Bloodclan?" someone asked. Bloodclan had recently made a comeback in the Twolegplace at the edge of Fireclan's territory, but they had been wiped out  
"Bloodclan is gone," Foxstar mewed firmly. "And Dove will be staying here until she's better." Despite her firm words, Cloudpaw saw a shadow of doubt in the leader's eyes. Foxstar jumped down from Highstone to signal the announcements were over, and the Clan scattered. Cloudpaw started to go look for her mentor, who had decided to grab a piece of fresh-kill. She was so anxious could leave the hollow for the first time. However, a flicker of movement near the nursery caught her eye. Turning towards it, she saw Hawkkit and Dove, who had been left alone. Hawkkit was taunting Dove, throwing cruel words at her. Dove kept quiet, ignoring the brown tabby's arrogance.

Probably because she's scared she'll be kicked out if she says something. Cloudpaw guessed. But still, Hawkkit has no right to do that! she fumed. Cloudpaw guessed that, if she told someone, Hawkkit would come up with a twisted version of the truth that favored him. She went up to him, across the soft grass and hissed "Quit it," into his ear. Her tail rigid and her ears flat with anger.

"Why should I listen to you? You're a bee-brain, 'cause sounds don't have colors!"  
Trying to keep her annoyance at bay, Cloudpaw growled "Because I'm an apprentice."  
"Fine," Hawkkit resigned, his reluctancy clear in his voice. Cloudpaw relaxed slightly, then whipped around, resuming her search of her mentor.

* * *

**Author's Note-I'm sorry for making it so boring. There's more action in the next chapter, I promise**


	4. Chapter 3

Sagebrook was finishing a vole from the fresh-kill pile. "What are we doing today, Sagebrook?" Cloudpaw tried to contain her excitement, but her unsheathed claws still pierced the packed soil as she asked the question.

"Well... I was thinking I'd show you around the territory," Sagebrook meowed.  
I don't have to collect moss on my first day! Glad that she didn't have to grapple with stinky bedding that day, Cloudpaw released a bit of her energy by bouncing around her mentor, until Sagebrook finished, "And we'll collect moss on the way back, then change the elders' bedding,"

Cloudpaw's face fell, and Sagebrook mewed, "Don't worry, I'll help you. You won't do it alone.  
But first you need to learn the territory."  
"Come!" Sagebrook called over her shoulder as she trotted away. Cloudpaw broke into a full run after her, trying to keep up with Sagebrook's long legs.

They kept running, past the guard, Mousepelt, and up the straight tunnel until they emerged into the woods. Cloudpaw turned around, trying to take in all of her surroundings. Trees that were many tail-lengths high loomed over her. She bounded across the soft, springy grass and ferns. She finally remembered to follow her mentor, and caught up with Sagebrook at a place that she knew was a path because of the trampled plant life and the many, faded cat scents that drifted up to meet her nose.

Still following the twists and turns of the same path while the sun inched down the sky, Cloudpaw's initial burst of energy began to drain away. She longed for her new nest in the apprentice's den. But as the path started to turn to rough stone that tore at her soft pads, Sagebrook suddenly halted and started sniffing the air, a suspicious look in her eyes. Cloudpaw imitated her smelling the air, and a powerful reek flooded her nostrils.

"What is that?" she asked Sagebrook loudly. Sagebrook didn't reply, but instead clapped her tail over Cloudpaw's mouth. The look in her eyes had changed to worry, and Cloudpaw saw why when a dark shape came lumbering out of the shadows, carrying that horrible scent with it.

"Badger," Sagebrook whispered. Her ears were flat and her eyes were huge. Cloudpaw didn't

move, terrified the creature would see her and take chase. She was acutely aware of how her tortoiseshell and white pelt stood out from the gray-and-green landscape.

"Run back to camp and fetch some warriors," her mentor instructed. For a moment, Cloudpaw was torn between staying to fight and running to camp. She suddenly realized that she had no battle training. She turned tail and streaked back, blood pounding in her ears.

She finally burst into camp, running past a surprised Mousepelt. She gathered her breath before yowling, "Sagebrook's been attacked by a badger!" at the top of her lungs.

The other cats milled around while Foxstar came up and asked, "Where did this happen?"

"By the beginning of where the path just outside of camp turns to stone," Cloudpaw tried to explain. Foxstar seemed to understand this, and the ginger leader leaped on top of Highrock.

"Oakfoot, you lead the patrol. Leopardstep and Mudthorn, you go with her." There was no need to call the cats, they were already gathered. "Cloudpaw, show them the way."

Before the patrol could leave, Cloudpaw asked Oakfoot, "Am I going to fight?" She couldn't help itching for a battle, despite that she had no training.

Fear flashed through Oakfoot's eyes, and she exclaimed, "Starclan, no!" Then she added, "You need to be trained before you can fight," echoing Cloudpaw's thoughts. She was a bit surprised at Oakfoot's strong emotions, but decided to ignore them. Oakfoot and the rest of the patrol, including Cloudpaw, ran out of the tunnel.

"Where do we go?" Oakfoot questioned Cloudpaw.

Cloudpaw signaled towards the start of the path, which was clearly visible in the middle of the field, with her tail. "Just keep following it." Suddenly, they were running across the trail, Cloudpaw gulping air in an effort to catch her breath. Her short legs covered much less distance than the patrol's grown ones, and for every stride they ran, she had to run two. As a result, she got tired much more quickly. By the time they were halfway to Sagebrook, she wanted to screech at the patrol "Slow down!" However, she didn't want to seem as if she whined all the time, so she kept quiet. As she ran, she felt a flash of worry for her mentor. But at least a patrol is coming now, Cloudpaw reassured herself.

Soon they had reached the place where the path turned to stone. Oakfoot scented the badger and held her tail out to bar her Clanmates from rushing into battle. "Hide behind a bush," she hissed in Cloudpaw's ear. Cloudpaw obliged quickly, concealing herself behind a bush that was downwind of the badger, but close enough that she could watch her Clanmates. Oakfoot let out a battle cry filled with fury, and she and her patrol streaked for the huge body. Sagebrook turned around from clawing at the badger's muzzle, her relief evident in her eyes. As they sprinted for the badger, Leopardstep and Mudthorn raked their claws down either black-and-white flank. The beast turned its head from side to side, as if it didn't know which cat to attack first. While this happened, Oakfoot gently guided Sagebrook to lie down in the field, away from the badger. Blood poured from a gash in Sagebrook's side.

"Cloudpaw, please get Gingerpelt for your mentor," Oakfoot begged her. Cloudpaw agreed, but just then the badger scented her and started lumbering towards her. Suddenly, the creature was on top of her.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 2

Cloudpaw crouched frozen with shock for a heartbeat, cowering under the shadow of the bush. She stared into the badger's cruel eyes for a moment. Then she turned tail and ran. Even when she heard yowling, she didn't turn back. Blindly streaking through thick woodland, she went straight into a thornbush. The thorns scratched her relentlessly, sharp as cats' claws, as she struggled to escape. Finally, she reached up and cut through the vine. As she did so, she slipped and tore her claw. She swished her tail in annoyance, muttered, "Mouse dung," and continued slicing through the bush. The vines trapping her fell down around her. She carefully stepped around them, wincing every time she put pressure on her hurt paw.

She slowly worked her way back to camp, letting out a huge sigh of relief when she saw the tunnel. Cloudpaw limped down the tunnel and straight across the clearing to Gingerpelt's den. She poked her head inside the den.

"Gingerpelt," she pleaded, "please come and help Sagebrook."

Gingerpelt hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I'll ask Foxstar." The russet she-cat strode straight to Highstone, jumped onto it, and disappeared into her sister's den. Cloudpaw stayed on the grass next to the Highstone. She didn't want to call attention to herself, and besides, she wasn't sure if she could manage the jump. She waited impatiently for Gingerpelt to finish her discussion.

_ Sagebrook could be dying right now!_

Soon Gingerpelt came out from Foxstar's den, the leader next to her. Cloudpaw was struck by how similar they looked. Only their eyes set them apart. Gingerpelt's were blue, and they were wise and kind. Foxstar's were amber. They burned with the fire of ambition. A suspicion crept through Cloudpaw's pelt and gripped her like talons. Foxstar was leader, what could she have ambition for? Surely their leader couldn't be anything like Tigerstar or Hawkfrost, cats who had wanted to take over the forest, cats who were prepared to cheat, deceive, and murder for their own sake. Cloudpaw shuddered, then shook herself. Her leader's ambition was to make Fireclan better after Flintstar's horrid leadership. But a shadow of doubt still lingered.


	6. Chapter 5

Foxstar and Gingerpelt were at the bottom of Highstone. Cloudpaw hissed at herself not paying more attention.

"Gingerpelt and Ashwhisker will go with you," Foxstar meowed.

Cloudpaw tilted her head questioningly. "Just one warrior?" she asked.

Foxstar sighed. "You can have Nectarleaf as well," she relented. "But I won't risk injury to any more of my warriors."

Gingerpelt was surprisingly fast, Cloudpaw discovered on their way to the badger attack. She had thought the medicine cat would be slower without moons of warrior training, and give her a chance to catch her breath.

But noooo, she has to be fast, Cloudpaw thought. At last, they were there once more. It looked almost the same as when Cloudpaw left it.

"Hide," Ashwhisker ordered her. Cloudpaw tried to smother the little bit of annoyance that sprang up in her- she knew what to do! She hid under a huge rock that loomed over her. Cloudpaw watched for what seemed like moons as the warriors fought and Gingerpelt tended Sagebrook's wound. Finally three of the warriors chased the badger away while Leopardstep and Nectarleaf carried Sagebrook and Gingerpelt carefully held a poultice of healing herbs. No one had seen Cloudpaw hiding in the shadow of the rock. Cloudpaw twitched her whiskers in surprise and annoyance. At least I know the way back.

She stepped out of the shelter of the rock and turned to face it. She realized that it wasn't a rock, but a cave. Curiosity flooded her and she walked back in, but this time kept going into the heart of the cave. It was total darkness. The sounds of her pawsteps were also muffled, and she strained to hear anything at all. She tried scenting, but the damp, stifling air kept her from smelling anything. Using only touch to guide her, she kept going. Suddenly she felt something nip her flank. Angrily, she turned around and swatted at it, but it had already went away. Then she felt tons of things biting all over her body. She turned around and kept swiping her paw. Then she remembered something Dustwing had taught her.

_ "Those are mosquitos. They live in the Rock Cave. They can make you sick. Never swat at them or you will become lost."_

_ I'm in Rock Cave! _

Cloudpaw sat stiffly upwards, ignoring the bites. But she was already lost Her whiskers tingled as she tried to detect even the faintest trace of wind. For a few frightening moments, she had no idea where she was. Then a gentle breeze blew across her.

Excited, Cloudpaw bounded towards the direction the wind was coming. But with each pawstep the cave grew darker and the air, damper.

_ Something's not right._

Yet Cloudpaw kept going, until she hit the wall of the cave and realized she was walking the wrong way. Grateful that no cat was watching, she turned around and started strolling the other way.  
She got to camp just as Foxstar was calling a meeting. Cloudpaw hurried a spot and Foxstar began.

"Warriors and apprentices, I summon you here to discuss an important matter. Greenleaf has been kind to us. The woods are teaming with prey that is not difficult to catch. Leaf-bare was mild

with little hunger. Furthermore, there have been no battles for seasons." Foxstar went on and on about how peaceful and easy life was. Cloudpaw rolled her eyes.

Will you just get to the point already?

" It took five warriors to drive off one badger. We have become soft. What will we do if leaf-bare is harsh, or we are attacked? We must train more and we must train harder. It is the only hope if Fireclan is to survive! All mentors and apprentices must go to Training Hollow. The warriors who fought the badger may go to Gingerpelt, and Badgerstripe will organize sessions for the remaining warriors."

Foxstar jumped down from Highstone and approached Cloudpaw. She got up the nerve to ask Foxstar, "Who will I be training with?"

"Oh, yes. Your mentor until Sagebrook recovers will be, um, Snaketail," Foxstar muttered distractedly. "You will train with him along with the other apprentices." Cloudpaw looked at her paws to conceal her annoyance. Meanwhile, she tried to think of a way of making Foxstar realize she was exhausted from delivering messages without sounding like she was better than all the other cats. When she found no way to do this, she decided to just go along with it. Cloudpaw trudged to where Snaketail was sitting by the fresh-kill pile, sharing a mouse and conversing quietly. His cold voice made Cloudpaw feel unsettled, but she gathered her courage to speak to him.

"S-Snaketail, Foxstar wants you to be my mentor," she stammered.

The black tom turned his gaze on her. "Why do you need another mentor? What's wrong with the one you have?" he purred silkily. His voice was made of hypnotizing gray cubes.

The crystal- blue stare fixed on her seemed to make her forget everything. "Sagebrook is wounded," she finally managed to get out.

"So, I suppose we must go to the training hollow now." Cloudpaw nodded fearfully. ''Very well, then." Snaketail took his his time finishing his mouse while her tail-tip twitched angrily. Finally, he got up and stretched.

"Follow me " he ordered. Cloudpaw's weary feet rose and fell as they followed the sleek figure out of the clearing and up the tunnel without thinking. Even when they turned onto a different path, she took no notice.**  
**


	7. Chapter 6

Her senses were at last awakened by roaring water. The blue liquid tossed and turned,

determined to get to its destination. The endless movement sent up a cool mist in the air, a relief from Fireclan's hot greenleaf. She instantly knew where she was.

_Herb Creek._ The only water source in their territory. Cloudpaw crouched at the bank, lapping the cold, fresh water, so different from the stale, warm, mossy-tasting water she was used to. Nearby, a luscious clump of catmint grew, releasing a tantalizing scent. Cloudpaw longed to eat it, but she knew Gingerpelt needed it for sick cats.

"Come on," Snaketail purred. His voice was threaded with a icy tone that made Cloudpaw shiver. She reluctantly padded after him to a flimsy-looking structure spanning the river, and made of brown blocks that were heavy with the scent of Twolegs.

"You first," Snaketail mewed, gesturing with his tail. Cloudpaw carefully stepped onto it, not sure if it would hold her weight. To her relief, it held firm. She slowly moved across it, making sure to stay in the center, away from the water. For one terrifying moment, her paw slipped into a gap between two blocks, and she stumbled over the edge, only tail-lengths away from the rushing water that she was sure could toss her around as easily as a twig... Finally, after hanging there for what felt like seasons, she hauled herself back onto the bridge and pulled her paw out of the gap. Hurrying on as if nothing had happened, Cloudpaw felt the swish of fur behind her and realized angrily that while she had been about to fall into the the merciless river, Snaketail had been right there and hadn't made any attempt to help her. Her pelt grew hot with fury, but she gave no outward sign of it. Pushing herself along the bridge, her rage grew into suspicion. Did he _want_ her to die?

_Is he going to push me off? _Cloudpaw glanced at him, but his blue gaze betrayed nothing. She knew Snaketail, who was twice her size, could easily throw her over the edge. And his voice, smooth as pebbles, could easily spin a fully persuasive lie about her death. When they stepped off the bridge, Cloudpaw was grateful for the grass beneath her paws.

_At least he can't hurt me now. _But she still wasn't so sure. The lack of water didn't make him any less dangerous. As they walked on, Cloudpaw smelled a familiar scent that made her stomach rumble. Vole. She hadn't had prey since early that morning, which seemed like a moon ago.

_I wonder if I could catch it..._

She spotted a brown shape nibbling on a seed. Checking she was downwind of the vole, Cloudpaw dropped into the hunter's crouch, that she had seen apprentices practicing so many times. She carefully lifted each paw up and set it down as quietly as a feather. One pawstep at a time, she worked her way towards the Clan's next meal. Halfway through, a thinly spread line of

ferns blocked her path. She couldn't work her way around them, as then the wind would blow her scent to the vole. So Cloudpaw slowly worked her way through the ferns, hoping it wouldn't notice the shape looming closer and closer. At one point, her pelt brushed against the ferns. The vole glanced up, and Cloudpaw froze. It went back to its food. Cloudpaw continued stalking it. When she was a tail-length away, Cloudpaw pushed back with her hind legs and pounced. The vole looked up in terror and tried to flee, but it was too late. Cloudpaw landed on top of it, snapping its neck with a satisfying crunch.

"Well done. You can bury it for now, then impress the Clan with it," with a voice mewed beside her. Cloudpaw turned and saw Snaketail. For a heartbeat she was surprised and pleased that he had complimented her. Then she realized that there was no warmth in his mew.

_Just flattery,_ she thought. But why would he want to flatter her? If he was cruel to her, it would her word against his. As the senior cat, Snaketail would be believed, so there was no reason to be nice to her. Cloudpaw sighed and shook her head. She would figure out Snaketail's motivations and goals later. For now, she decided to just focus on training as well as she could. But inside, Cloudpaw was scared of this cat. He could do anything he wanted to her. They were alone in the middle of a deep forest. Cloudpaw had to force her paws still from their trembling.


	8. Chapter 7

The Training Hollow was only a short walk away, but it felt like a season's journey to Cloudpaw's tired legs, weighted from the many events of the day. There, agile apprentices twisted and turned, tussling with their mentors. Among the soon-to-be warriors, Cloudpaw felt like a kit again. All the apprentice turned to look at her, for she was the youngest of them all.

Snaketail seemed to not notice all the pairs of eyes directed at him, and he simply purred "Attack me."

"J-Just like that? Aren't you going to teach me any moves?"

"I want to see what you know already. All kits pick up something from the apprentices. Of course, you probably didn't, seeing as you spent your whole kithood with your nose inside the medicine den."

Cloudpaw wished she could disappear into her pelt. Even though her ambition was to be a warrior, she had studied herbs when she was a kit, figuring she would have no time to do this during her apprenticeship, as she would be to busy learning battle moves.  
_ What's wrong with knowing some herbs? I still want to be a warrior!_ Still, Cloudpaw had watched the apprentices practice day after day and had imitated them. The young apprentice swerved back and forth, until Snaketail didn't know where she would strike. She pushed her hind

legs down and soared over Snaketail's head, landing lightly behind him. She whipped around while he was turning and landed a series of sharp blows on his head, careful to keep her claws sheathed. He began to turn, then stopped suddenly. Cloudpaw didn't stop to wonder why. She raced behind him again and darted under his belly, intending to unbalance him. He landed on top of her, and too late, she realized she was trapped. Although the warrior was small and light, he was more than enough to trap an new apprentice. Then Cloudpaw remembered a move she had watched, her favorite one. She let herself go limp. As Snaketail raised his head in triumph, she jumped up and knocked him over, pinning him down. Snaketail pushed her back down easily, but thrill still rushed through Cloudpaw. Her first training session, and she had almost won!

"Good job, Cloudpaw," Snaketail complemented her, but a sneer was still in his voice. You can go back to camp to sleep. I must stay here and assist with apprentice training". Cloudpaw began to nod, then caught herself.

"Wouldn't that mean I have to go home by myself?"

"Yes, it would. It's still light out." Cloudpaw glanced at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the ground. "It's still light out " was a slight exaggeration, but Snaketail's face warned her not to argue.

"Yes, Snaketail", Cloudpaw replied before turning in the direction of the camp.

Soon, the sun had dipped below the horizon. The stars and moon, covered with clouds, offered her no light. She kept moving through the total darkness, trusting her paws and whiskers to guide her.  
Eventually, she could hear a river winding through the undergrowth ahead.  
Herb Creek, she thought. She straining her ears to determine where it was. But before she could find out, she felt emptiness under her front paws.


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the fox-fighting. I tried to tone it down as much as I could.**

* * *

She tumbled into the river. Cloudpaw broke the surface, gasping and frantically paddling the water with her paws as the river swept her downstream.

_I have to get out!_ The water splashed her into her eyes, and the blue spirals of the water blinded her even further. But through the dim moonlight that pierced the clouds, she managed to see the bulky shape of the bridge up ahead. As she moved towards the bridge, she stretched out her paw and managed to get a hold of it. Cloudpaw hauled herself up, her fur dripping. She started to walk along the bridge,padding across the bridge, then ran to ward off the chill, but it had already reached her bones. I need a fire.  
All Fireclan cats were taught to build fire as kits. Cloudpaw veered off the trail, walking just beside it and putting her paw to the side every so often to check she was still next to the path. She walked forward until she found a collection of a few unburnt logs. An abandoned fireplace by a Fireclan cat, perhaps. Cloudpaw gathered kindling for the fire, then she lit it. A warm glow lit up the forest. Cloudpaw sighed with satisfaction as it warmed her fur. She sat by the fire until  
her fur was warm. Cloudpaw quickly extinguished the fire and continued on the path back to camp. But before she had taken more than a few pawsteps, a stench even worse than the badger's filled her nose. She whirled around in time to see a ginger tail disappearing into the bushes.  
_Fox!_ She had forgotten that fire could bring other animals to her. Cloudpaw's feet thrummed on the ground as she fled. When she reached the entrance to camp, panting heavily, she smelled fox again, stronger than ever.  
I have to defend the camp! She turned around and swiped at the fox, who was right in front of her. It was young, barely a cub, just like her. It couldn't have been more than a moon old,just out of the den. Cloudpaw leaped on its back and clawed furiously with her hind paws, ripping fur. The fox growled and shook her off, and the tortoiseshell apprentice fell to the ground, dazed, but she managed to bring her paws up to claw at the fox's vulnerable belly, while the fox landed blows on her flank. After a few moments, the fox had had enough and ran away .  
Cloudpaw got up and stumbled into camp. The clearing was deserted. She began to trudge towards the nursery before remembering she was an apprentice now. She turned to the apprentice's den. At the very edge of the den, was a nest made of soft moss. The lack of scent indicated to Cloudpaw no cat had slept in it. Right now, though, she was too tired to care. She collapsed into the nest, her eyes already closing. Cloudpaw fell into sleep.  
**  
**

Cloudpaw found herself standing in a forest. The trees were all dead, on the verge of  
falling over. Instead of grass or moss under her paws, there were bare rocks.  
Something else seemed different, wrong...there was no sound! The rustles of leaves and chattering of birds, which she had always taken for granted, were not here.

"Is this the Dark Forest?" she asked out loud, remembering the legends of The Great Battle. Her voice sounded small. She looked around at the dead trees. There was no living thing in sight.

Cloudpaw turned around and saw a cat padding out of the gloom. A mist seemed to hang over her, disguising her pelt. She could only see her eyes, which were burning orange.

"No, this is not the Dark Forest," she purred.  
**  
**"Then what is it? And who are you?"

"This is where cats go after they are gone from the Dark Forest-or Starclan," she meowed, pointing with his tail to a misty barrier.

"Then what's it called?"

"It doesn't have a name. No cat outside of here even knows it exists."

"Well, I don't live here. But I know it exists," Cloudpaw retorted.

"But that's because times are changing," the she-cat meowed. Her voice was solid, reassuring, persuasive.

"They are? How?" Cloudpaw asked.

"Oh, you are still a young cat. Clan life will be hard on you. But if you listen to us, you will have a great life."

Cloudpaw was still suspicious, but she could feel the cat winning her over. "Come back!" she cried as the dream dissolved into mist. "Who are you?"

When Cloudpaw woke, sunlight was filtering through the roof of the apprentices' den. All the other nests were empty.

_ That was a weird dream,_ she thought. _ Could it be real?_

_Of course not. Why would an apprentice get a dream like that?_

_ Because you are special_, the voice from her dream whispered in her mind.**  
**


	10. Chapter 9

Cloudpaw yawned and tried to shake the dream out of her head. She stumbled out into the clearing. Once more, it was empty. Only a few warriors and Foxstar remained. The fresh-kill pile was almost empty- only a few stale pieces remained. Cloudpaw's belly was rumbling louder than thunder, however, so she glanced at Foxstar for permission. Foxstar nodded, and Cloudpaw gulped down a old vole.

Dustwing came out of the warriors' den, blinking sleep out of her eyes. She brightened up when she saw Cloudpaw. "Cloudpaw!" she called. "I missed you yesterday!" Dustwing ran over and started cleaning Cloudpaw.

Cloudpaw couldn't help being glad that there were no other apprentices around. She loved her parents, sure, but this was still embarrassing. Cloudpaw didn't pull herself away, though. She knew that would be useless. Dustwing was cleaning Cloudpaw's side when she discovered the  
wounds left by the fox.

"Cloudpaw, where are these wounds from?" she asked.

"Fox," Cloudpaw mumbled. She didn't want her mother to know the whole truth. If she did, Cloudpaw would never be allowed out of camp.

To Cloudpaw's relief, her mother only said, "You have to see Gingerpelt." Unwillingly, Cloudpaw followed Dustwing to the medicine den. When Cloudpaw got to the medicine den, she gasped. She had known Sagebrook would be in here, recovering from her wound, but she hadn't thought about what it would look like. The gash ran from Sagebrook's shoulder to almost her tail. It was tinged yellow around the edges. Poultices of sweet smelling herbs were plastered onto the wound, but they could not mask the stench of crow-food coming from the wound. Sagebrook was unconscious. Cloudpaw hoped that badger who did this to her what fall into Herb Creek and drown.

Shuddering, Cloudpaw rushed past the once-pretty she-cat. Gingerpelt was stacking herbs at the back of the den, looking very busy, but Dustwing didn't seem to care. She prowled up to Gingerpelt.

"Please check my daughter's wounds," she meowed.

Gingerpelt turned around. Her eyes were weary, but she betrayed none of it in her confident stride.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"On my flank."

"Lie down here," Gingerpelt ordered, indicating to a pile of moss. Cloudpaw lay down on the soft moss, feeling uncomfortable. Gingerpelt, apparently sensing this, ordered Dustwing out of the den. Gingerpelt glanced at the wounds and immediately began to gather herbs from the half-stacked piles at the back of the den, chew them up, and apply them to the wounds. When she finished, Cloudpaw began to haul herself up, but Gingerpelt pushed her back down.

"Not yet," she meowed. "You have have to stay here for a few days."

"What?" Cloudpaw exclaimed.

"Yes. Unless you want to that wound to get more infected."

Cloudpaw sank back into her nest, grumbling.

"Sleep," Gingerpelt told her.

"Great," Cloudpaw muttered, to quiet for Gingerpelt to hear, but she still closed her eyes. Almost immediately, Cloudpaw fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When she woke, the sun had set. Even though Cloudpaw felt sick, she was bored, so she once more tried to haul herself out of her nest, but there didn't seem to be any strength left in her paws. She let herself collapse back into the nest. Cloudpaw glanced desperately back at Gingerpelt, who was still stacking herbs, for an explanation. Gingerpelt seemed to know what had just happened.

"The infection has spread," she explained. "Sleep."

Cloudpaw didn't need to be told twice. She collapsed into her nest and slipped into unconsciousness. Throughout her dreams, voices purred, sneers masked by a thin cloak of sweetness.

Within a few days, Cloudpaw once more grew tired of the medicine den. She shifted in her nest all day, but Gingerpelt insisted that she stayed in the den. By the time nightfall came,

Cloudpaw was so bored that she would have ripped out all of her claws just for a chance  
to leave camp. Even though she couldn't hunt, she was desperate to stretch her legs. She glanced back at Gingerpelt. She was snoring deeply. Checking over her shoulder once more to be positive that Gingerpelt was asleep, she crept out of the medicine den, making sure to place each paw down carefully, where no stick would snap underneath her feet and alert the Clan to what she was doing. Cloudpaw got to the forest bordering the camp unchallenged.

I must cover my scent, she thought. The herbs on her pelt would already do that for her, but there were only two cats in the clan who would smell like the herbs; her and Sagebrook. The clan would quickly figure out that she was the one who snuck out. Cloudpaw found a patch of wild garlic and rolled in it once. The reek was so strong that only a leaf of it would cover her scent trail.

What should I do? Cloudpaw wondered. Gingerpelt said she was low on marigold. I'll find some.  
Cloudpaw began to retrace her steps to Herb Creek. Her ears were soon met with the sound of running water. She padded along the riverbank, using her nose to search for marigold. The wind  
was blowing towards her and after walking for a little while, the wind carried the scent of marigold  
to her. With the light of the moon and the stars, she could make out a clump of orange and yellow flowers across the river.

Cloudpaw worked her way back to the bridge. She put one paw on the beams. The rough wood scraped her paw as if to comfort her, but they felt strangely thought Gathering her courage, Cloudpaw leaped up onto the bridge. She raced over the river, gasping with relief when she got to the other side. Cloudpaw followed the scent back to a clearing. As well as the marigold, violets and buttercups grew in the clearing, as wells as beautiful white flowers with purple streaks on the delicate petals. The scant was enticing...Cloudpaw wanted to eat it like grass. She drifted forward and bit off a leaf. The taste, surprisingly bitter for such a sweet smell, jerked her back to reality. Cloudpaw spat the half-chewed wad onto the ground with disgust and fear.


End file.
